Importance

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Abstract

Disclosed is an improved method of separating a first salt and a second salt from an aqueous solution containing both salts and salt impurities, where the solubility of the first salt increases more with increasing temperatures than the solubility of the second salt, and at least a portion of the salt impurities precipitates as slower settling rate crystals than the settling rate of precipitated second salt. The solution is passed through a series of evaporators in which second salt and salt impurities are precipitated. The bottom of each evaporator communicates with an elutriation leg into which precipitated salts settle, and into which a fluidizing liquid is introduced to carry precipitated salt impurities back to the evaporators and from which second salt slurry is withdrawn. In the improved method, evaporator mother liquor effluent overflow having a temperature and salt composition near the temperature and salt composition of the solution in the evaporator communicating with the elutriation leg into which the fluidizing liquid is introduced is utilized as a fluidizing liquid (elutriant) in the potassium chloride recovery step.

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First Claim